Animorphs: The Confused
by mickiept
Summary: Hi, Jake here. All the we had to do was destroy the DT. But no, instead, we got caught in an explosion that twisted all our realities even more upside down. Now we're trapped in an alternate universe, people. What's worse is that we can't get back...
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is set somewhere between #26 and #29.**

**Disclaimer: I don't really own any of the characters, K.A. Applegate does. Please don't sue me.**

**(Jake)**

"HHRROOWWR!" Rachel roared with a bear voice. A Hork-Bajir slashed her.

BAIL! I yelled.

My name is Jake. Just Jake. And right now, we were in big trouble if we didn't get out of there.

Jake! I think I see the exit! Tobias told me.

No! We have to destroy the DT. Marco said while trying to wrestle two Hork-Bajir to the ground.

The DT was short for the Dimension Traveler. Marco was right, if we didn't destroy it, the Yeerks could call up reinforcements from another universe. Not the prettiest picture, especially if you put into account another Visser Three.

Okay, Ax, do your thing! I yelled to the Andalite that was on our side.

You're probably wondering why I'm talking to an alien. I'm the leader of the Animorphs. Marco, Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, Ax, and I are able to turn into any animal we touch for two hours at a time. If any of us exceed the two hour limit, we'll be trapped in that morph forever. Tobias did that, but thanks to an all-powerful being, is able to morph like the rest of us.

We have a responsibility to fight the Yeerks, a parasitic species of alien that crawls into your ear and takes control of your body for three days at a time. You become a slave. The Yeerks could be anyone.

Prince Jake, I do not know if there is enough time to destroy it. he said back to me. I didn't even bother to tell him not to call me 'prince'.

Try! I commanded.

Visser Three, the only Andalite-Controller stepped forth, I have you now Andalite Bandits. That was when Ax started fiddling with the DT.

My very bones shook, and I was swallowed by intense light.

**A/N: My second fan fic! I know this chapter is brief, but it's only the prologue and it was necessary. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 1 Jane & Jake

**

* * *

A/N: Thank you reviewers. You have to pay attention to who's narrating.**

**Disclaimer: The Animorphs belong to K.A. Applegate.**

****

**(Jane)**

My name is Jane. That's a first name obviously. My full name is Jane…

"Hey! Jane, I'm going out now so if you want to throw a wild party, go ahead!" yelled Toni. That's my big sister, she's been getting into the club called the Sharing lately. It actually sounds kind of cool, but I still don't want to join. Toni just doesn't seem to get the hint though. Also, I don't like how that if she isn't trying to make me join, she basically ignores me. She and I used to be real close.

"Okay!" I screamed back, not really caring if she went to another one of her stupid meetings. Besides Cassidy, who really wants to spend all of their free time cleaning after slobs when they could go shopping? Actually, Cassidy would only pick up the trash really if it would help the animals. And if Toni really wants to clean up something, she should try her room. But that's beside the point.

Anyways, I'm Jane and I'm your basic, average, teenage girl. I get okay grades, nothing to really brag about but good enough so that I always pass on to the next grade. I have friends, family, and a disease that can only be cured by large doses of shopping twice a week. I'm kind of tall for my age and into basketball even though I didn't make the Junior High team. You'd probably never notice me on the streets, unless I was in a punkish sort of mood. Like I said, you're basic, average teenage girl.

Oh, and you should probably know who Cassidy is. He's this really caring guy and has the ability to see people's motives. Cassidy always knows what to say to soothe an argument. Very into animals, probably the side effect from having your father work at the zoo and your mom owns a Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. He's about average height and black, not that it really matters. He had his hair long for a while, but he cut it which makes him look better. I guess you could say I _like_ Cassidy.

It was a boring Saturday afternoon and I didn't feel like doing anything. But I knew I had to do something. I had slept over at Marcia's house and hadn't actually gone into my room yet.

Marcia has been my best friend since we've been in daipers. But we're complete opposites. She's very into comics and making jokes. We play Playstation together a lot, sometimes she beats me, but we're both pretty good. Thing is, she's able to see all the little tricks of the level. She's a person I'm absolutely able to trust, although she sometimes thinks I'm insane. She and her mom have been having a hard time with her dad's death, but they seem to finally be getting over it.

Anyways, if I wanted to do something, which I didn't, I'd have to go to my room. My bed, basketball, CDs, books, and homework were all in there. Plus, mom said she'd ground me for a week if I didn't clean it today.

I slowly trudged up the stairs and twisted the golden door knob of my domain. I stopped for a second when it wouldn't twist any farther. I thought I heard something. Something like a moan. It kind of gave me the creeps. After a minute, I decided to ignore the strange feeling and pushed the door open.

My bed was a mess, which was strange because I had actually made it the last time I slept in it. Then I saw why it was so messy. A guy was dead asleep on the floor next to my bed. He was wearing a way too tight T-shirt and bike shorts. This guy needed some serious fashion help, but I wasn't concentrating on that at the moment.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

The boy bolted up and also screamed, "AHHHHHHHHH!"

**

* * *

**

**(Jake)**

We were lucky to regain consciousness before the Yeerks or the two hour time limit caught up to us. The minute we all woke up, we ran the heck away, not even caring about the DT. None of us saw the DT, so we assumed that it had exploded or something. At that point though, not even Rachel cared if it was destroyed or not. When I got home, I sneaked in and fell instantly asleep on my bed. I was thanking my stars that Tom was at one of his meetings for once, although it did mean he was a Controller.

When I woke up, it was to a girl at the door screaming. What could I do except scream back?

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU????!!!!" she yelled at me. She was pretty tall, with brown eyes and brown hair. I guess she looked a little bit like me in an odd, sort of feminine way.

"WHO THE HELL ARE _YOU_???!!!" I yelled back.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. As Marco said, was this girl insane?

"_YOUR_ ROOM! THIS IS _MY_ ROOM!!!!!! NOW GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!!"

"YOUR INSANE!!!!! NOW GET OUT!!!!!"

"YOU GET OUT!!!" I yelled and looked around. What had she done when I was asleep? Maybe Tom put her up to it, this is the kind of thing he would do, or at least his Yeerk would do, if he was mad at me. She probably was a Controller. You can never tell who is and who isn't.

"MY NAME IS JANE!!!!! THIS IS MY HOUSE!! THIS IS NOT WHATEVER-THE-HELL-YOUR-NAME-IS HOUSE!!!! NOW GET OUT BEFORE I CALL THE COPS!"

"MY NAME IS JAKE. AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM???!!!" I yelled.

"IT'S MY ROOM AND YOU KNOW IT."

"NO I DON'T!!"

A thought just struck me right then. This wasn't my room, but this was my house. I was sure of it. Come to think of it, Tom's Yeerk probably wouldn't even bother to do this. Jane. Jake. They had the J, A, and E in common.

"Oh my god," I said in disbelief. Excuse me for taking a leaf out of Marco's book again, but this was insane.

**

* * *

**

**(Jane)**

****

"Oh my god," he said in disbelief.

"Oh my god what? Oh my god this isn't your house after all?" I asked while feeling very annoyed. The nerve of that guy to not only sleep in _my_ room, but then claim it was his! Some people are just nut cases!

"You said your name was Jane, right?"

"What's it to you?" I snapped. I need to ask my parents for a phone in my room.

"What's your best friend's name?"

"My best friend is Marcia. Happy?"

"Marcia…Marco…what's your cousin's name?" he muttered.

"Rich, Sandy, and Joey, now leave!" I snapped again.

"Mine are Rachel, Sara, and Jordan. My crush's name is Cassie, what's yours?"

"Why would I tell you my crush's name?!"

"Please," he pleaded, "It's important."

"If it'll make you leave, it's Cassidy."

"Did you save a boy named Tobias from a swirly?"

"I saved a girl named Toby. How the hell do you know so much about me?"

"Lucky guesses. Is your brother Tom a member of the Sharing?"

She sounded very annoyed, "My big sister Toni is a member. What's it to you?"

He sighed deeply and looked troubled for a moment before asking, "Are you an Animorph?"

**

* * *

**

**(Jake)**

I know I took a risk when I asked her if she was an Animorph, but if I was correct, well, this was the weirdest thing I've ever done. This would make turning into an animal seem normal.

"What's an Animorph? My god, you are crazy!" Jane told me. Either she really didn't know what I was talking about or she was a really good actress. That or her Yeerk could be.

I decided to take another risk, "I can prove I'm a friend." I focused on the tiger within me.

The tail came first, orange and striped. Then my teeth grew longer and pointer. I grew bigger and heavier and my hands turned into paws just before I hit the floor with a silent thud. Fur grew all over me and my ears crawled up to the top my head. Claws extended out. I was a full grown male Siberian tiger.

When I was fully tiger, Jane screamed. Which made me wonder if she was just a really good actress or if she telling the truth when she said she wasn't an Animorph.

**

* * *

**

**(Jane)**

I was officially INSANE! I just saw a guy I didn't know turn into a tiger! What other explanation could there possibly be?!

"This can't be happening! This can't be happening!" I started mumbling.

Jane, are you alright? I heard his voice in my head.

I screamed again. I had heard a voice in my head. Voices in heads are not a good sign. Even I knew I was insane and I'm the insane person.

Jane, it's Jake. Stop screaming. he, it tried to calm me down. It didn't help any. I started looking around for the source. I had to be dreaming. Maybe I should start seeing a psychiatrist…right after I call the rubber room to tell them to pick me up.

It's called thought-speak. Only you can hear it. the voice said. The voice proved to me that I was crazy. Is the voice crazy too or did I just go off the charts when it comes to sanity?

"I've gone insane. At only 14, I've snapped. I belong in the nut house. I'm hearing voices!" I rambled.

Then the tiger turned back into a human with sickening sounds and sights. He turned into the guy that claimed this was his room. The guy, whom I noticed for the first time, looked almost exactly like me. He had the same brown hair, only it was cut shorter, the same brown eyes, and he was tall like me, but I was a couple inches shorter. He literally looked like a male version of me.

"Okay," I said calmly, "Who are you and why do you look like a boy version of me?"

**

* * *

**

**(Jake)**

"I don't know why we look so alike, but I can tell you how I can do that." I told her. She nodded.

"But first," I continued, "I need you to call Rich, Cassidy, Marcia, and Toby and tell them to meet in Cassidy's barn."

She picked up the phone and dialed Marco's, I mean Marcia's number and let it ring a couple of times before Marcia picked up, "Hey Marci! It's Jane! Yeah, listen, do you want to meet me at Cassidy's barn. Why not? What do you mean something weird is going on? Please come, please, it's important. Okay, bye."

"What was that about?" I asked when she hung up.

"There was a guy there, but she's coming over, so don't worry." She replied.

"Okay, that's good. What about everyone else?"

"I can't do Toby, but everyone else is fine to call."

"Why can't you call Toby?" I asked.

"I just can't okay." She said. I sighed, we could introduce Toby into all of this later.

In ten minutes, everybody had been called and we were ready to go.

"You better tell me what's going on when we get there." She snapped.

"I will, but you have to go alone. I need to get some people, DO NOT tell anyone that I can turn into animals or that we have even met." I morphed to peregrine falcon and flew off to find the others. I think she screamed once, but if she did, I barely heard it.

* * *

**(Jane)**

It was quite a walk to Cassidy's barn. What was I going to say to him, "Oh hi Cassidy, I'd like to tell you why I'm here but then a guy will turn into a tiger and rip me apart"? Yeah, sure, that's exactly the kind of thing I want to tell the guy that I really like.

Rich would probably get the answer out of me one way or the other. I mean, we're not exactly close, so it's kind of suspicious when you ask a guy you barely know to meet you at his best friend's house. I can just imagine me screaming for mercy. He may look like the cover guy for GQ, but he acts like G.I. Joe. Plus, he's been kind of distant since the whole Toby thing (long story, I'll tell you later) and he'll only really truly talk to Cassidy.

Marcia, well, if Marcia really did have a guy with her and it wasn't just her mom's boyfriend, I'd think she'd kill me. Literally, although, I don't really know because she's never had a guy with her really. Sure, she's goes on dates, but it's usually just one.

It was kind of a disturbing walk, picturing how they would all react when I told them about the tiger/guy/bird that I met. I kept imagining the van for the mental hospital coming and picking me up while I laugh histarically at the pink tap-dancing hippos on top of the gurney. Or, what's worse is that they will believe me and try to do it themselves...and succeed!

And yet I imagined about what they would do if they met the tiger/bird/guy. One scenario involved them screaming out of the barn. Another included another trip the mental hospital van, only I'm the sane one and when I'm left alone, everyone will suddenly realize that I am not sane, but insane and then I would go on a killing rampage while singing, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head".

Oh, my imagination can be cruel.

"I should have brought a gameboy," I muttered to myself.

**A/N: Yes, this is an AU fanfic. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 2 Marcia & Marco

**A/N: This is set about the same time as the confrontation between Jake and Jane. I apologize if I've used the same names as another AU fanfic, but I wanted names that were close to each other. Oh, and I've used a little bit of each character's book in the beginning, but I've tweaked it. Sorr it took so long to update.**

**Disclaimer: K.A. Applegate owns the Animorphs.**

****

**(Marcia)**

****

My name is Marcia. I've never actually liked my last name. I'd like nothing more than to be able to tell you my name is Marcia Jones or Williams or Vasquez or Brown or Anderson or McCain.

Marcia McCain. Has kind of a nice sound, doesn't it?

But seriously, Marcia McCain is not my name. My _actual _name is Marcia-

I heard a sound from upstairs. The very noisy shower that takes five minutes for the water to warm up. The very noisy shower that you can hear all the way across the street probably. The very noisy shower THAT DOES NOT TURN ON BY ITSELF!

"What the hell? Didn't mom just leave for work?" I said to myself. If mom was there, I would have been punished for my language. Come to think of it, her boyfriend might have punished me too. My dad died in a boating accident a couple years ago, but she seems to finally have gotten over it. She's now dating the math teacher Mr. Robbinette.

I reluctantly went over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. I think mom said something, but the steam was clouding up the voice so it was hard to hear what she said. I guess my curiosity got the best of me and I thought my mom might have said something important. Our bathroom door doesn't exactly lock, but our house is usually a house of girls, so it's nothing we haven't seen before.

Not that we want to see it.

I pushed open the door a little bit so I could hear mom a little better. I breathed in a lot of hot steam and I could barely see anything. The mirrors were all fogged up. So was the shower door. All I could see was a general figure. In the shower, from what I could see, was a guy about my height!

I slammed the door, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything! I'm so- Wait, what's a guy doing in our shower?!" Mom's boyfriend doesn't stay overnight or take showers here and if he did, I'd be damaged for life.

A Latino guy an inch taller than me stepped out (with a towel around his waist, thank god!). We both said the same thing at the same time.

"WHO ARE _YOU_?!"

**(Marco)**

****

Is it really a crime to take a shower? I was groggy and all I wanted to do was let literally boiling water pour down my back. But then a girl comes into the shower just when I begin to indulge. I mean, I know I'm cute and charming and just plain irresistible, but I think she could refrain herself long enough for me to finish.

Then again, maybe not.

"Well, I'm Marcia," she said, "I'm cute, I'm funny, I'm witty, I'm very modest, and I LIVE HERE!"

"My name is Marco and _I'm _cute, funny, witty, very _very_ modest and _I _LIVE HERE!" I replied.

"No you don't." she argued.

"Yes I do." I argued back.

"Do not."

"Do to."

Do not."

"Do to."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Ha! I've got you!" she yelled triumphantly. I hung my head down in shame. She had my exact shade of skin, my eyes, my hair which was cut at the shoulders like I used to have it, and was within an inch of my height. Then I noticed she _was_ cute, as cute as…me? But that's not possible. No one can be as cute as me except…

"You're me!" I exclaimed as I pointed at her.

**(Marcia)**

****

Okay, first I find a guy in the shower (it's not what it looks like, I swear), then he says it's his house, and then he goes into some nonsense about how I am him.

"No, I'm me and you are you." I exclaimed.

"Tell me, are you the lord of the playstation?" he asked.

"There is no one better," I told him. I've always been rather proud of my gaming skills. Now, if only they taught playstation at school… I'd be willing to give up math for it.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" I asked him. He just sort of nodded his head.

"Does your best friend's name sound like Jake?" he questioned.

"My best friend is Jane." What did he know about Jane? We've been best friends since forever, but we're complete opposites. She's responsible and authoritive and I'm funny and charming.

"So that's a yes."

"I guess. They do sound sort of alike." I said.

His face turned very serious, "Listen to me, are you an Animorph?"

**(Marco)**

"Listen to me, are you an Animorph?" I asked her, even though it was possible that she was actually a Controller.

"Animorph…sounds like something I'd come up with. What's it for?" she said, cocking her head a bit. Okay, so she probably wasn't a Controller. But I still had to check with one word that would make any Controller bolt up and then call dozens of Hork-Bajir from the basement to capture me and put a slug in my ear.

Come to think of it, maybe I didn't have to ask.

"Do you know what a Yeerk is?" I asked her.

I expected to hear her say "Of course, I am one," or "How do you know about Yeerks? Oh my gosh, I actually do know what an Animorph is, I was just acting," But the answer I got shocked me.

"Nope, never heard of them." It sounded genuine, but you never know.

"I see. Then you wouldn't mind if I turned into a…gorilla!" I challenged.

Her face turned confused, "Should I be calling the police or rubber room on you?"

"Oh, you don't believe me, well, I'll prove it," I smiled and then I let it fade, "But first, I need to get my clothes on." I was still wearing a towel around my waist. I stepped into the bathroom and pulled on my dirty skin tights. When I got out, I saw she was gone. I took a guess and looked in the living room to see that she was dialing 911. We really are alike.

"Please don't do that," I said and she slammed down the receiver with a short scream. She turned towards me with a sort of horrified look on her face like she was talking to a madman. Then again, she might have been.

"Just calling Jane," she tried to make up an excuse.

"Yeah, I call 911 first too whenever I call Jake, just to make sure." I joked.

"She is the daredevil type. Who's Jake?"

"My best friend who is exactly like your best friend." I explained.

"Okay, you promised me you would turn into a gorilla, so do it," she said while cocking an eyebrow skeptically and inching towards the phone.

I sighed, "Okay, but I'm warning you." And then the changes began.

**(Marcia)**

****

The first thing that happen was that his skin turned black and rubbery. Then his jaw swung out. Coarse hair grew all over his body and he gained some serious muscles. He grew larger and before I knew it, he was a gorilla. An actual live gorilla. I was right when I thought I should be calling the rubber room, but I was thinking of the wrong person. So, you know what I did when he turned into a gorilla, imagination or not?

I fainted.

When I regained consciousness, the same Latino guy from before that turned into a gorilla was hovering over me, trying to get me to wake up. He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but they were a bit dirtier. I started to gingerly rub my head because I had unfortunately fainted on hardwood floors. I was surprised I hadn't fainted before he turned into a gorilla.

"Have I just gone insane?" I asked him. He thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Welcome to the club. Would you like the gold or silver package?" Marco joked.

"What's the difference?" I don't know, we just seemed so alike and I had an inkling that he was going to make a very joke. I can't explain it, but it was almost like we were one.

"The gold package includes running and screaming bloody murder. It's very popular," Marco smiled. I smiled too, but somehow I felt like there was a deeper note of seriousness in his joke.

"So, what's an Animorph?" I asked. He just sighed. Right about that time, the phone ringed. I picked it up.

"Hello." I said. I heard Jane's voice on the other side. "Hey Marci. It's Jane." She said. "Great to talk to you again so soon." I replied. "Yeah, listen, do you want to meet me at Cassidy's barn?" she asked. "I can't." I answered. "Why not?" she asked. "Look, something weird is up." I told her. "What do you mean something weird is going on? Please come, please, it's important." I looked at Marco and he nodded. "Okay, I'll come, but it better be important," I answered. "Okay, bye." Jane hung up the phone. I shrugged and put the receiver down.

"That's weird, Jane seemed panicked." I told Marco. I felt like I could trust him. It was almost like we were the same person…

**(Marco)**

****

I thought for a moment before the answer hit me, "Maybe Jake's over there with her."

"Huh? Okay, what exactly is going on?" Marcia asked while putting her hands at her hips.

"Uh, well, I can't really explain it, but you better meet Jane at Cassie's- _Cassidy's_ barn. I have to go somewhere first. Uh, promise you won't faint on me this time, okay?" I told her. She nodded. I looked at her skeptically before I morphed to osprey.

Morphing is creepy. I don't blame Marcia for fainting. The first thing that happened was that my arms grew so I could have a six foot wingspan. I started shrinking until I was two feet tall. My toes melted together and separated to reveal four deadly talons on each foot. Bones hollowed, snapped, and readjusted and I distantly felt my organs shift and disappear. Lastly, feathers grew and my hair shrank back into my head. I was fully osprey.

"Okay, that was freaky," Marcia said after a minute.

You're telling me. I've been doing this for who knows how many years and I'm still not used to it! I thought-spoke to her. She let out a small scream.

"How…voice…in head…how?!" she stuttered.

Oh, sorry. This is thought-speak. It's the only way we can talk in morph, I explained. She nodded, but looked very pale, We kind of need to hurry this up, I only have two hours.

"Or what? You'll never be human again," she joked, but I didn't find it funny.

So you read the instruction manual. I replied.

"Oh my god, has anyone else ever got stuck before?" she asked.

Yeah, I know someone personally. Anyways, could you open the window? Marcia opened the window and I flew out.

You better get going, I said as Marcia got on her bike. However, she didn't know that this bike ride might be the final bike ride of her life as a normal kid.

Sorry, I told her once she was out of range.

**(Marcia)**

****

I had about half an hour to figure out how I was going to explain this all to Jane. Cassidy too, it's not like we're friends or anything, but I was still going to his house. If I was lucky, Jane already knew what was going on. Although, how many people turn into gorillas or birds?

"This is insane," I said to no one.

"You're telling me," no one replied. I turned around to see that no one was Jane.

"Oh, hi Jane," I said. I didn't mention that I met a guy who could turn into animals. Neither did she.

"So, how's it going?" she asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Fine, want to talk about stuff?" I asked her. I couldn't remember the last time that we had talked about truly meaningless stuff. One day, it just seemed unimportant.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I have a feeling that after this, we'll never be able to again," I sighed.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one will either be Rich/Rachel's POV or Cassidy/Cassie's POV. Probably Rich/Rachel. I'll try to update this ASAP. I hope I captured the essence of Marco.**


	4. Chapter 3 Rich & Rachel

**A/N: Finally! Sorry it took so long, but I'm very busy. Plus, I've had huge writer's block. I will never complain to anyone again that they need to update. I've been getting a lot of good input on this story and I'm glad everyone likes it. I was so worried about the last chapter, I'm really not good at Marco but everyone seems to like it :-) This chapter is Rich/Rachel. Oh, and Author replies are at the bottom of this chapter. Okay, I think I've covered everything, so let the chapter begin! Rich is going to seem way different than Rachel just to let you know.**

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I have to do this thing. Okay, everyone should know by now that I do not own the Animorphs. I think I own their alternates though. I am not doing this again. This disclaimer counts for every other chapter of this story that I write.**

**(Rich)**

My name is Rich. I won't tell you my last name. It's not that I'm some sort of freak that is afraid the government is watching me. No, it's much simpler than that. I simply don't like my last name. It's never sounded right with Richard or Rich. So don't ask me what my last name is because I'll do whatever I can to stop you from hearing it.

I flopped down onto my bed and pulled out a picture from my dresser drawer. It wasn't a very good picture, just a class one where everyone was goofing off. In the corner was the girl of my dreams. She had long dirty blond hair that was pulled back into a ponytail because it never laid flat of its own and eyes that had a look of hope, pain, and sincerity all at once. But that picture was taken a long time ago, a year ago in fact. The last time I saw her, she had cut her hair short so that it wouldn't bother her and her eyes were starting to have the look of ice when it is first forming of a lake. She never changed her dumpy, underprivileged look, but she never sported bruises or cuts like when we first met. I still remember one particular conversation about that.

_I walked down the cafeteria and over to the girl of my dreams. I lightly touched her shoulders. She spun around and cracked a smile._

"_Hey," was all she said and went back to her notebook where she was drawing a picture. Later, that picture won an award._

"_Hi. You look a lot better. I mean, you always look good, but you're not as…hurt as you usually are. Are things getting better at home?" I asked sincerely. She looked up at me with remnants of her old eyes._

"_Hardly," she swallowed back a laugh._

"_Then how come you don't have any bruises?"_

"_Shoot, Rich, I've got to go get some colored pencils. I'll be right back."_

I didn't see her until the week afterwards. But there's another reason why she was my ex-girlfriend.

My ex-girlfriend, whom I loved dearly before she practically stopped seeing me before she dumped me in a huge fight, liked my last name. She said that it had a nice ring to it, a last name that she would someday like to have. Come to think of it, I would have liked her to have it. I know it's silly to think you've found true love at my age, but I did. I just know it.

Her name was Toby.

**(Rachel)**

I don't know why I was freaked out, I truly don't. I guess it was just a shock. When I got home I saw a guy lying on my bed. What was even freakier was that he didn't seem nervous at all. The freakiest thing was that three other men were in the house acting totally normal and no one in the neighborhood seemed to care. So, you ask me why I didn't just go in and go grizzly on all their asses. It's pretty easy. While I enjoy kicking Yeerk butt, it doesn't mean I'll hurt a creepy but innocent person out of pure anger. That and Jake would kill me.

So, instead of confronting this person right away, I postponed the encounter until I couldn't take it anymore. I waited until all the guys in my house except the one in my room left, picked up the key from under the mat and marched up to my room.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IN _MY_ ROOM YOU BASTARD!" I screamed once I jerked the door open. He looked startled and dropped a picture frame that he was looking at on to the floor. There was a faint tinkle of glass as it broke and scattered across the floor.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? DO I EVEN KNOW YOU, YOU BITCH!" He yelled back at me once he regained his composure. I could tell immediately that he wasn't very happy. God, who did he think he was, acting like this room was his and that he wasn't a criminal!

"YEAH, THIS IS THE LAWYER'S DAUGHTER TELLING YOU TO GET OUT OF HER ROOM BEFORE SHE MAKES SURE YOU'RE PUT IN JAIL!" I yelled at him as I pointed to the door. I gave him an angry look that only I could do. I was kind of surprised when he gave me the same look without any trouble at all. Still, his blue eyes weren't as hard as when I do it.

I guess what shocked me was when he stumbled back a little and screamed, "Why the hell do you look just like me!"

**(Rich)**

It was…interesting, as Casey would put it, to see this girl storm into my room and yell at me. I didn't even know that someone could yell as much as I did. I had several way out theories on why this girl looked like me. Clone. Long lost twins. Form of me from an alternate universe. I had many more theories too. I got into science fiction after I met Toby.

"Who…who are you?" the blond girl asked.

I took a deep breath, "My name is Richard, Rich for short."

"Rachel. So, why are you in my room?"

"WHAT! Are you on crack or something?"

Rachel looked like she was about to yell something, but shook her head and sighed, "Not unless I was drugged by some maniac."

"So, why do you look like me?" I asked innocently.

She shrugged, "Don't know. What do you think?"

I started listing my theories, "Clones. Long lost twins. Alternate universes. Alie-"

"What was the last one?"

"Alternate universes?"

Although I'm not sure, I could have swore that I heard Rachel mutter the letters "DT".

**(Rachel)**

I almost laughed out loud. Visser Three sure would be happy to find out that the DT worked. Plus, the Yeerks did seem a little shocked to see us, like they were the first time we ever went to the Yeerk pool. The sad thing was that this actually made some sort of sense. I had finally lost it. But don't tell Marco, I don't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Who is 'DT'?" Rich asked me.

I blinked. Did I say that out loud?

I sighed and made the decision to explain to him what was going on in case he didn't already know. "It's a what, not a who, and I'm not entirely sure myself. I don't suppose you know what Yeerks are, do you?"

"Can't say I've heard of them." He shrugged.

I took a very deep breath. This was going to sound crazy to him.

**(Rich)**

This girl was crazy.

As soon as Rachel finished her little story, I began laughing. "You really are on crack." I told her. The look she gave me suggested that insulting her would end with my head on a pike, but I didn't care; I've always been the daredevil type.

(Oh really. Have you looked around recently.)

I blinked. I swore I heard her voice in my head.

(It's me, Rachel. I'm the big old grizzly bear or have you not noticed it yet.)

Actually, I had noticed it. I had noticed the tree hundered something pound bear in my room. It was kind of hard to miss.

"So...the changing into animals part is true then." I said simply.

It's kind of odd to see a bear nod.

"Um...could you change back? My floor collapsed a little while ago and I'd rather it not happen again."

The bear nodded again. Blond hair begain to sprout from its head and the bear nose turned back into a human nose. The eyes turned back into blue ones. Fur retreated back into the skin and the linms turned normal. Finally, all that was left were the black clows, which changed into long fingernails before shrinking back to normal size.

I was wide-eyed. "Wow." I collapsed onto my bed and began massaging my temples.

"A little much, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah." I replied. " A little much."

**(Rachel)**

I began exploring the room whileletting my counterpart(?) absorb all this new information. It is kind of a shock to find out your planet is being invaded by parasitic aliens. Our rooms weren't that much different, except his was more masculine while mine was more fenimine. But that was to be expected.

I gingerly picked up the photograph that he had dropped earlier. It was an old class photo that I remembered well. But it was a little hard to recognize everyone when they were the opposite sex. I looked at the bottom and found the name I was looking for.

Toby .

I was pretty sure she was Tobias's counterpart.

"Give that back!" He demanded and snatched it out of my hands.

"What!" I asked.

"Nothing." He glared.

I smirked. "You like her, don't you?"

"Like who?"

"That girl. Toby."

He glared at me again as he put the photo in his drawer. "I _did_ like her. We broke up a while ago."

"You dated?"

"Yeah, we dated. Then one day, out of the blue, I asked her where she was going. She started yelling at me and accusing me of not respecting her privacy. She broke up with me."

"...well, have you apologized."

"No, and I'll never be able to either."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Well, why not?"

He sighed. "Because...the day after she broke up with me, she commited suicide."

**(Rich)**

Rachel looked shocked. "Tobias's counterpart is...dead."

"As a doornail." I said coldly.

She shook her head. "I don't believe it. I really don't."

"Believe it."

"Come on, we're leaving." Rachel demanded.

"To where?" I asked.

"To your best friends barn. I need to have a little talk with _my_ best friend."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's the chapter. I know, not my best work. I eventually got to the point where I just wanted it to be over with. Next is Cassie/Casey. Also, note that I've changed the name from Cassidy to Casey. I like Casey better. More info on Toby's death will be provided later in the story.**

**Read and Review please.**


End file.
